


About Dreams

by bookmaniac849



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Haruno Sakura-centric, No Uchiha Massacre, Strong Haruno Sakura
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-25 17:27:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12040716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookmaniac849/pseuds/bookmaniac849
Summary: After a strange dream, Sakura wakes up feeling that she's not where she belongs. Then she's placed on Team 7 and faces various dangers alongside her best friends and family. Non-massacre. Sakura-centric





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So...this is my first Naruto fanfic, which you can also find in Fanfiction.net. Contains mentions of torture and abusive families, so if you don't want to read that, you're free to leave.  
> Please enjoy.

Blood.  
Blood and heart-breaking screams. Fire everywhere you looked, all the plants and houses, _people_ , burning.  
 A little five-year-old girl was running through her Clan’s compound, pretending not to see the corpses that were on her way. The girl had pink hair and her eyes were flickering between jade and light grey, she seemed to not notice that she was surrounded by a white chakra. As she entered to one of the burning houses she started calling for her parents.  
"Mommy, daddy, where are you?!".   
The little girl continued to call for her parents again and entering to all the rooms that were on the downstairs part of the house. Apparently deciding that her parents weren't there she climbed up the stairs and entered one of the rooms. There, a little boy was crying and coughing, he had white hair and beautiful green eyes.  
"Kimi-nii! ” The little girl called for the boy, at the same time kneeling by his side, upon further inspection it seemed as if the white chakra that surrounded the girl was protecting her from the flames and the smoke. The little boy started coughing up blood.  
"Sa-Saku...” He couldn't finish, he lied there, unmoving in the girl's arms, the little girl started crying, repeatedly calling for the boy, hoping that he would open his eyes, smile at her and tell her that everything was going to be fine and that he wouldn't leave her side. Just like he always did when playing with her.

He didn't.


	2. Waking Up

I woke up drenched in sweat, almost screaming. It was raining outside and my window was slightly open. _What in the world was that?_ I shook my head and looked at my clock, 8:00. Since academy starts at 9:00 I decided it was a good idea to take a bath. Feeling the cold water run through my body made me think about that drea-, nightmare. It was horrible, seeing that little girl all alone in the fire of her house; watching the little girl's brother die. But, that little girl looked so much like me, could it be? No this is silly, my parents are in this house and I don't have siblings.

**_Maybe you DID have a brother, and he got killed._ **

_That isn't true and you know it inner._

**_But that could be, do you remember something, anything, from when you were a little girl? It could be possible._ **

_What are you saying, I'm not from that village, I have no brother or sister, and I’m just a genin._

**_Then what about the mark on your left arm? Hmmm?_ **

And there it was; Inner's trump card. I took a quick glance at my arm, feeling the familiar, yet unwelcome pain it provides. Little symbols, too little to be able to read, were there, in an unnatural bright yellow color that I always covered with a white bandage. I sighed and decided to finish my conversation with inner while stepping out of the shower. I dressed in my usual attire- black, loose pants; fishnet shirt with another black, long-sleeved shirt above, and the signature ninja sandals. I tied my long hair on a low ponytail and my headband hanging loosely in my neck. I was ready for my first day as genin.

I opened the door of my classroom only to be greeted by the annoying sounds of one of my best friend's fangirls. I sighed and took the seat the bunch of fangirls wanted, right between my two best friends, Naruto and Sasuke. I could feel the killing intent of practically all the girls in the classroom directed at me. Oh the joy, luckily I was saved by Iruka-sensei.

“Class settle down, first of all I'd like to congratulate you for graduating and becoming genin, now I'll be placing you into three-man-squads which will have a jounin as leader. Team seven Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke and Namikase Naruto.”

I almost can't believe that I'm actually in a team with my two best friends! I smile softly at the thought of us jumping around the trees in Konoha while escaping from the bad guys. With our skills, being a ninja team will be a piece of cake.

But the smile I had turns into a frown, since the seal in my arm decided to "nicely" remind me that the world is not pastel pink. It makes me think about my conversation earlier in the morning with inner, who is very quiet as of now, that dream really unnerves me, or more like the possibility of it not being a dream, but a past I long since forgot, in an unnamed village, with parents and a brother I don't remember having, in a house I don't remember living in.

I can't help but imagine that maybe living in that unnamed village, in that compound, would be better than living in Konoha, because even though I have friends in here, in the house I live in is hell. I can't help but think about all the times my father and mother have beaten me to a bloody pulp whenever I don't do certain things as they want me to do them, how many times mom has thrown an empty bottle of sake at me for not peppering the dinner correctly, or if I tripped and fell. I recall what happened two nights ago, when dad threw me around the basement for forgetting to do the dishes, my head hitting mercilessly against the cold wooden floor, my legs and arms covered in bruises and blood running down my forehead. Mom watching, while drinking a cup of tea in the sidelines.

I can feel the bandages that are in my arms and my legs, covered by my daily outfit, hiding from other people's eyes the bruises and scars.

But then I remember that mom and dad treat me like a princess sometimes, and it irks me to reach my house when the academy finishes, and not being able to tell if I'll be beaten, or treated like royalty. It's driving me crazy. So yeah, all in all, it'll be a good idea to live outside Konoha, even for a little bit. Or maybe not, because I'll be vulnerable in other place that wasn't my village.

**_But Saku, is Konoha really your village? Is it really the place that you were born into?_ **

I was going to answer her when my musings were interrupted by someone shaking my arm.

As I turn my head I meet a pair of sky-blue eyes, and a pair of onyx ones. Both eyes full of concern, and deep inside, amusement. The eyes belonging to my two best friends.

“Hey Sak, are you 'kay? You spaced out and we're the only ones left in the classroom, even Iruka-sensei left, 'ttebayo!”

Oops, seems I went to the moon. So I nod and let myself be dragged by my goofy friend to the academy`s rooftop, Sasuke following close behind.

When we reached the rooftop, I immediately took out my bento box and started to eat what little I could cook in the morning. Naruto took out homemade ramen and Sasuke snatched some tomatoes from his backpack (even after all 6 years of knowing him and eating lunch together, I still can´t get how in the world does he keeps tomatoes alive in his backpack), and the three of us sat in a circle.

“Okaa-san asked me to tell you you're all invited to the Uchiha compound for dinner at the main house, it will take place at seven sharp, and it's not formal.”

Naruto laughed good-naturedly and patted Sasuke's back.

“Tsk, after all this years of knowing each other and you're still as formal as ever Teme.”

Sasuke just smirked, and continued to eat his tomato.

Meanwhile, on the Hokage office, Kakashi Hatake got a glance at his new genin team.

A civilian, the second heir to the Uchiha clan, and the Hokage's son; an interesting team indeed.


	3. Past

Kimimaro Kaguya loves his sister. Always had, always will.

The Kaguya Clan had loved its heirs and practically worshiped them.  
In the main family, people were normally very proficient in spiritual-related skills, and once in a while, would get a split personality that more often than not helped the person. It was very rare in those times though, and the person to get it was considered a type of prodigy by the Clan.  
His little sister was the one, but she also was the person that had to see her beloved Clan perish in flames, that fateful night.

Kimimaro always had been wary of Yagura since he was introduced to the man, but now he outright hated the Kage, not only did he exile and kill Kimimaro’s own Clan, but he also slaughtered the other Clans; including Haku’s.

He could still remember all the times the Kaguya siblings played with Haku, always showing off their bloodline limits and swimming on the lake near both compounds.  
He wondered if Sakura remembered all of their days –and nights- together, the Clan, Mom and Dad, and the day everything finished.  
A part of him wished she didn’t. He wished for her to be happy and carefree, to forget her problems and her obligations.  
But the other part, the selfish part of him, wanted her to remember her brother, and who was her best friend.  
But if she remembered, he wondered what would she think of him and Haku, now that they worked with Zabuza. Kimimaro thought she would understand, knowing how it was Yagura that killed off the Clan, but he also knew that his little sister would disapprove of the only family she had left working for a missing-nin.  
He loved his sister anyways, but couldn’t help but wonder where was she when he, Haku and Zabuza went near the place the Kaguya and Yuki compounds once were.

He felt a hand rest on his right shoulder, and turned around to discover Haku’s form staring back at him, smiling sweetly. He returned the smile, though a small one, almost forced.  
Kimimaro couldn’t remember the last time he smiled genuinely.  
No, he remembered.

_It was a cool day of March, one week before Sakura’s birthday. The pinkette, her brother and Haku were passing the time in the lake near their compounds._  
Haku was making figures out of ice, Sakura’s request; the pinkette laughing at the ice-made bunny running around her feet.  
Kimimaro himself was lying on the sand, near his little sister and their best friend. It was so peaceful and calm he didn’t notice Haku sneaking past him.

_That is, until the tickling began._

_Kimimaro squirmed, trying not to laugh, but it proved to be difficult, mostly because he was a very ticklish person, but also because little Sakura had seen her nii-san laughing softly, trying to kick Haku and free himself. The pinkette smiled, an evil glint in her eyes, and proceeded to tackle her older brother, adding to the tickles and making Kimimaro laugh and beg for mercy, his eyes tearing up._

_What Sakura didn’t notice was Haku’s change of target, until she was in the receiving end of the boy’s tickling. She couldn’t help it, and started to laugh uncontrollably, squirming in her best friend’s lap, trying to hit him with her little hands._

_She almost got him, but her brother had taken the time to get the Yuki in a friendly headlock to free his little sister, who immediately ran to her brother, squealing and giggling all the way.  
Kimimaro caught his sister and started spinning her around, yelling at Haku to catch her. The brunette did, and it quickly turned into a game of “catch Sakura”, the little girl screaming in delight._

_After their little game, the three children ended up sprawled on the sand, laughing uncontrollably, gasping for breath once in a while. Their white clothes completely drenched and their hair full of sand._

“Kimimaro, we should go, Zabuza-sama is waiting for us.”  
The Kaguya nodded, and stood up, glancing one last time to the lake, before quickly turning around and jumping to the nearest tree, Haku by his side.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+--+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

Their sensei was late.  
Not just late, but _late_.

And Sakura was _tired_ , so she took a quick nap on one of the desks, completely tuning out her teammate’s bickering.

_It was a cool day, in what looked to be a lake in Kiri. She was dressed in a white, simple kimono, fancy none the less. Near her there were two boys: a very effeminate brunette and the same white-haired boy she saw on her last dream._

_The brunette was – surprisingly for Sakura- making ice figurines. One of them being a bunny that ran circling her legs._  
Sakura felt calm around the boys, happy even, and her body relaxed in the dream, not that she wanted to in front of two strangers, but she could do little about it. From the corner of her eye, she noticed the brunette sneaking past the other boy, and starts to tickle him.  
The white-headed boy squirmed, and begged between laughs for “Haku” to stop tickling him, while trying to hit the newly named brunette.

_Her dream-self smiled evilly, before standing up and tackling the white-haired boy, adding to the tickles._  
That was, before getting tickled herself, by no other than the Haku boy. She could hear herself squealing and laughing in delight, trying to punch her captor with her little hands. Haku suddenly found himself victim of a friendly headlock, courtesy of the white-haired boy.  
She took the offered opening and stood up from her former captor’s lap, running and squealing her way into the other boy, faintly hearing Haku’s protest “C’mon Kimimaro, let me go!” , the brunette had a soft and gentle voice, much like Hinata’s.

_She felt herself being lifted up. The Kimimaro boy spinning her around._  
She heard herself squealing in delight “Nii-chan, don’ stop!”  
So, apparently, the boy was her brother? She found no time for musings, as she felt herself flying and ending up on Haku’s arms, thus beginning a game of “Catch Sakura”.

Sakura got rudely awoken by Naruto’s laughter.

When she lifted her head, not only was Naruto rolling on the floor, but Sasuke also was snickering quietly. On the other hand, a man with gravity-defying gray hair, a mask covering almost all his face but his eyes, and who sported the standard jounin uniform, looked back at her.

The pinkette raised an eyebrow slightly, questioning the man silently; though the pinkette was almost a one-hundred-percent sure he was their new jounin sensei.

When both boys’ laughter died, the man cleared his throat, and spoke in an almost lazy manner  
“Well, I’m your new sensei, meet me at the rooftop in five minutes.” And he _poofed_ away, leaving behind the three genin.

Naruto and Sasuke didn’t waste time, and immediately ran to the door, leaving the pinkette behind.  
She didn’t mind though, she had a lot of things to think about, and she wanted to do it alone.

That dream had been far-too real for her liking.

In her head, Inner sighed quietly, and put a metaphorical hand over Sakura’s shoulder, in the universal sign for ‘I’m here for you.’


	4. Secrets

_You know something.  
**I know a lot of things Sak, one of them being that our teammates are in the rooftop, probably wondering why we aren’t there.  
**_ Sakura sighed, and started walking; biting on her lower lip.  
_You know what I’m talking about. Are those dreams really dreams?  
**They are, though not completely.  
**_ The pinkette stopped walking altogether.  
_So it’s true. Then, why am I here? How did I get the mark on my arm? Inner, just what’s going on?  
_ Her Inner sighed softly in her head  
**_I knew you would ask all this one day, and I promise to explain. Tonight. Now, you have to meet with your teammates, go to dinner with the Uchihas and pray you don’t end up a bloody pulp by nightfall. Everything will be fine.  
_**_If you say so…_

**

“Sakura-chan! Where were you? We were just ‘bout to go lookin’ for ya! ‘ttebayo!”  
Sakura scratched the back of her head sheepishly  
“Uh yeah, sorry about that. I had to go to the bathroom.”  
****_Good one Saki!  
_ “O-kay. I don’t wanna hear it.”  
The pinkette laughed and took a seat in the middle of her friends.  
“Well, now that we’re all here, how about we get to know each other a little better, hmm? You first Naruto.”  
“Yosh! My name is Namikase Naruto; I like my mom’s homemade ramen, going out with Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan, and ramen. I dislike when mom’s mad at me, and the three minutes I have to wait for ramen to be ready. My dream is to become Hokage, a better one than my dad is; hobbies? Pranks I guess.” Typical Naruto.  
“My name is Uchiha Sasuke; I like training with my brother, mom’s cooking and spending time with the dobe and pinky. I dislike not being better than my aniki and the clan elders. My dream is to win against aniki on a fair fight, and my hobbies are training and reading.”   
 Sakura wasn’t surprised at their introduction. She _did_ know them since she was seven-years-old.

Her new sensei looked at her expectantly, and the pinkette reminded herself it was her turn to introduce herself  
“Oh, sorry. Name’s Haruno Sakura, I like dango, ice and cold weather, also spending time with these two idiots… by the way Sasuke, you know I hate it when you call me pinky. My dislikes are being confused, not being alone in my house and when people hide the truth. My hobbies are reading, training and going out with the idiots. My dream… I never really thought about it.”

“Now that that’s done… Tomorrow, we’ll have our first mission, just the four of us. It’s a survival exercise. Training Ground 7, five o’clock a.m., don’t be late, and don’t eat breakfast. I don’t want any of you to throw up.”   
That said, he _poofed_ away.

Sasuke stood up “Well, we better get going. Okaa-san said to be there early. You know the way.”  
Naruto nodded, and stood up as well, I followed suit  
“Umm, could we pass by my house? You know, to tell my parents...” They frowned, but still nodded. We all made our way to the civilian district, all the way to our huge house. No surprise there, my father was part of the civilian council, and everyone listened to him and my mother.  
It’s not surprising that I hate politics.

 

Whe we reached the house, I opened the door slowly. “Ta-tadaima!”   
“We’re in the kitchen sweetheart!” answered her mother.  
Sakura made her way to the kitchen, where she saw her father cutting vegetables and her mother making noodles.  
“Okaa-san, otou-san… I-I’ve been invited to dinner with the Uchihas. I-I hope you don’t mind.” She said, as quickly as possible, though she still stuttered a little. Her father answered after some time.  
“It’s fine darling, just make sure to be polite and don’t come home too late. Understood?”  
Sakura quickly stammered an answer before speeding out of the house at her teammates, who immediately speeded towards the “Teme’s” compound.

**

“Tadaima!” Sasuke announced, taking off his shoes and entering the Main House, his teammates following suit into the building.  
“Okaeri. The food is on the table; your father will be here soon. Hello Sakura, Naruto, please make yourselves at home.”  
“Hai” they chorused, but went to the compound’s private training grounds, were Itachi and Shisui were currently sparring. Fire jutsus flew everywhere; metal clashed with metal; debris flew around the jounin ninja.  
Shisui saw the new genin approaching and quickly signaled to his training partner, who in turn readied himself for his little brother’s quick hug.  
“Okaeri otouto; Sakura, Naruto. Are you staying for dinner?” as if the prodigy didn’t know his mother had invited them for dinner, Sakura decided to ignore him in favor of greeting the other, funnier Uchiha, the one who was glad to see her  
“Hello hello my dearest cherry blossom! Have you had any problems with the two airheads over there? Do not despair! Shisui, your angel, is here to save you!” He said, while scooping the pinkette up and spinning her around quickly, leaving her on the floor just as quick. The other three males oblivious to their whole exchange.

Suddenly, they heard Mikoto’s voice calling them for dinner. The five shinobi quickly left the training grounds in favor of the delicious food they had seen wen entering the house.  
At the table, sat Fugaku and Mikoto, both of them waiting for the younger ninja to sit themselves at the table.  
“Itadakimasu!”

**

“So Naruto-kun, are you excited to finally be a shinobi?” Mikoto asked the blonde ninja, who immediately gulped down what he was eating to answer her question  
“Of course I am! It’s the first step to become Hokage!”  
The Uchiha matriarch laughed and directed her attention to Sakura, who was calmly sipping her tea.  
“Oh Sakura, how about you? Did your parents give you anything for your graduation?” Sakura flinched slightly, almost imperceptibly  
“Well, they aren’t really happy with my career choice, so I didn’t really get anything. In fact, it’s getting a little late and I have curfew. Thank you for the food Uchiha-sama.”

And she ran.


	5. Family

**_You’re an idiot_ **

_And, you’re a liar, so shut it Inner. You’ve still got to tell me the truth._

She sighed in my head

**_Very well, you just have to fall asleep._ **

I entered the house. Everything was quiet, and smelled like sex and sake. I scrunched up my nose. This was a normal occurrence, but I hated it.

Making my way to my bedroom, I saw the door open, and the light on. Laughter erupted, and a bottle hit the ground. My feet stepped on the wooden floor; it creaked ever so slightly.

I could practically _feel_ my mother’s smile.

“Darling! You’re here early. How did everything go with the Uchihas?” Her slender frame showed up on the door frame. She was pale, and holding a bottle of sake on her left hand. Her knees were shaking, and I instantly knew she had taken some sort of drug. I had to be careful.

“Uh, it went well mother. Nothing to report.”

**_You just got yourself killed, let me take over._ **

_No way, you’d probably get me on deeper shit._

“Who do you think you’re fooling darling? That’s not the way you answer your mother, now is it? I’m afraid I’ll need to teach you a lesson on how to respect your elders. Come to the basement dear, I’ll be waiting.” She turned, and went downstairs, all the way to the basement. I was petrified. I had training tomorrow, but there was nothing I could really do, I would just have to endure it and hope they have enough common sense so as not to damage my body until I can’t stand…

“Who the hell do you think you are squirt. We’re coming to the basement you excuse of a ninja.” My father slurred behind me. Just after that, me picked me up roughly, and descended the stairs.

Mom was waiting for us.

*+*

**_Well, that went absolutely amazing!_ **

_Thanks for the sarcasm. Where are we?_

**_In your mindscape of course._ **

_Why are we in here?_

**_You wanted the truth didn’t you? When we finish, you’ll remember everything._ **

**_++_ **

**_You aren’t from Konoha. You Clan’s name is Kaguya. A powerful clan from Kirigakure. You have a brother, his name is Kimimaro; and you have a best friend/fiancé, his name is Haku, and he’s from the Yuki clan. You were betrothed after your birth._ **

**_The Kage in that time was Yagura, and his reign made Kiri be known as the “Bloody Mist”, since he prosecuted blood-line limits. Both the Yuki and Kaguya clan have a kekkei genkai; Haku, Kimimaro and you are the only ones left of them._ **

**_You have to understand that both Clans loved you three, though the elders… They were a different story. The Yuki’s head was Haku’s father, and he was terrified of bloodlines, so you three always had to hide your true powers from his family._ **

**_The Kaguya Clan elders were a little bit more than that, they feared yours and Kimimaro’s powers, because you were too advanced for your age, and they had always loved to control the Clan’s decisions. You were a bump in the road for them, a nuisance. They always tried to get rid of you. They almost managed._ **

**_Saks, they were the ones to tell Yagura of your kekkei genkai_ **

**_+*+_ **

“Ohayo Sakura-chan!, you’re early! Is sensei here yet? He was so late yesterday ttebayo!”

“Hn, ohayo.”

The pinkette looked up at her teammates, they stiffened almost imperceptibly. Sakura´s eyes had bags under them, she looked paler than most days, and if you looked closely, some bruises marred her skin, showed by her off-the-shoulder black shirt. Her usual bandage on her left bicep. They always wondered what was the bandage for, but she always changed the topic, so they had left it at that.

“What happened Sakura-chan? Do you need to go to the hospital? Do I tell my dad? What do we do?” Sakura cracked a smile at her goofy teammate who was freaking out over nothing. Sasuke sighed, before bumping Naruto in the head and ordering him to shut up. The pinkette smiled at him and motioned her teammates to seat and take one of the ration bars she had grabbed in the morning. He took one gratefully before taking his place besides her.

“What happened?”

Naruto kept shouting around.

“Nothing to worry about, just a few bruises…”

“I’m not dumb Sakura; first you fled from my house yesterday night, and now this. Just what’s going on?”

“I wish I knew that Sasuke. I know it’s not okay, but you’ll have to wait for an answer. For now, we should start training.”

And train they did.

*+*

“Well, sorry I’m late, but I saw a lost turtle and decided to train with it for a bit before giving it back to its owner. Now, I’ll explain the exercise. In my hand I’ve got two bells, your task is to take them from me. The one who gets no bell before noon will go back to the academy; you can use your weapons, jutsus and the like. Any questions?”

The three friends looked at each other before nodding and sitting back on the grass. Kakashi looked confusedly at them. Naruto spoke for them.

“We ain’t doin’ it sensei. No leaving each other behind, that’s our rule. Sorry, we’re not in for this test.”

Kakashi’s eye widened, before he leaned a little bit into their direction.

“Are you sure you want to do that? I can just send you back to the academy. It’ll be so easy.”

“Hn. We’re a team.”

The scarecrow smiled beneath his mask

“And what does the female of this group has to say?”

Sakura recalled Haku’s words from when they were children, once the elders took Kimimaro away for a week. She had been sad and had thought her brother was leaving her.

“Someone I knew once told me, that it would be stupid to leave your loved ones behind, since they were the only ones that really were important. I’m not leaving these two idiots to go back to the Academy; we’re genin, not missing-nin.” She replied slowly.

“Well then, all of you…

Pass.”


	6. Training Sessions

Sakura was angry-no, she was _mad;_ first, they had almost been sent back to the academy by their lazy-ass sensei, and _now_ they were stuck doing menial tasks for civilians that didn’t want to work.

Weeding gardens was _not_ her idea of fun, but at least it gave her time to think.

_Inner?_

**_Yes Saku?_ **

_What do you think my brother is doing?_

**_Hmm, he’ll probably be traveling somewhere, maybe sightseeing; you know he loved to do that._ **

_Yeah, probably…_

**_Is everything okay?_ **

_Yeah, it’s just- with everything that’s been going on lately, I completely forgot to ask you…_

**_Ask me what? You know I’ll tell you everything; I’m here for that after all._ **

_You didn’t show me all my memories… There’s something missing between the day my clan was killed and the day I was adopted by the Harunos. What is it?_

Inner sighed in her head, before sitting herself comfortably in my mindscape.

**_Well, yeah, but I had my reasons, you see-_ **

_Again with the lies Inner, why didn’t you tell me?!_

Her knuckles turned white as she began pulling out weeds with more strength than needed, though Sasuke and Naruto were too preoccupied bickering to notice.

**_I’m getting there okay! By the way, you may want to move to your right, there are medicinal herbs in there._ **

_Yeah yeah, just tell me._

**_Sakura, Inner personas like myself were created to guide and protect the mentality of the people in your Clan; traumatic events can endanger it, so I didn’t show you those memories._ **

_And seeing my Clan perish to the flames wasn’t traumatic enough?!_

**_IF YOU WANT ME TO SHOW YOU, THEN FINE. Wait until you’re asleep, tonight you’ll get all your memories back. I promise._ **

Kakashi-sensei’s hand on her left shoulder shook her from her musings.

“I think that’s enough Sakura, you’ve already completed all your part and some of Naruto’s too.”

She blinked, before nodding to her sensei and directing her attention to her boys, who were still bickering.

“Oi you two! Shouldn’t you be weeding a garden?” She asked them, smiling cheekily

Both boys turned to look at their female teammate, who was staring amusedly at them, before promptly turning away from each-other and crossing their arms. Sakura, for her part laughed while going to seat herself beneath an apple tree their client had. She was feeling dizzy, and light-headed, she guessed it was because her mind and body had gone through some strain while she argued with Inner.

Her arm hurt, but she ignored it in favor of watching her boys fight, trying to one-up each other in weeding their client’s garden.

The ache didn’t disappear; instead, it grew every time she breathed. Her smiling face morphed into a frown, as she reached for the painkillers in her pouch, popping one into her mouth and closing her eyes tightly, Sakura waited for the pills to start working. _It has never hurt like this, I wonder what happened to make it react so aggressively._

Then, she heard Kakashi-sensei’s voice as he called for Sasuke and Naruto to join her beneath the apple tree.

“Well, my cute little genin, I’ll be now announcing the second part of our survival mission.” Sakura looked up, confused _second part? He never mentioned a second part._

Naruto seemed too eager to ask their sensei

“Second part?! But Kaka-sensei! I thought we were doing D-ranks!!!”

“Well yes Naruto, but now that we’ve finished weeding this garden, we can get to the second part of the survival mission we started in the morning, even though it was supposed to actually involve some physical work out.” Kakashi said with his typical eye-smile

“And the second part is…what exactly?” Said Sasuke, standing up from his place below the three.

“Glad that you asked my little minion, the second part of your survival training is… Joint training with other genin teams!” He then looked at the sun “And we were supposed to be there half an hour ago, so you’ll have to run to Training Ground 3. I’ll be waiting for you.” And with that, he disappeared with a _poof_.

*+*

When Team 7 arrived at Training Ground 3, their sensei was –surprisingly- waiting for them, along with three other jounin and 9 genin, 6 of them they recognized as their ex-classmates.

“Well my rival! Looks like your team is late, which demonstrates that my team is more youthful! So now I guess that I’m winning, huh Kakashi?” said a man clad in green spandex and with a bowl cut.

“Huh? Sorry Gai, did you say something?” their sensei said, and it was blatantly obvious that Kakashi was just teasing the man because –at least in Sakura’s opinion- anyone in _Suna_ could have heard the eccentric green man

**What the hell is up with his eyebrows?**

Sakura moved a bit to hide behind Sasuke at the sight of Konoha’s Green Beast yelling at their sensei for ‘his un-youthful unyouthfulness’

_I think that the real question is ‘What’s up with him?’_

Asuma cleared his throat

“Well Kakashi, now that your team is here, I suggest we start this training session.”

“Ah, yes. Of course Asuma, but first” Kakashi moved so that they could see Gai more clearly and his team, which had moved to stand behind their sensei, while Sakura moved Naruto to stand in front of her so that she was hidden from view when Inner told her that there was _another_ Gai with the same horrid eyebrows, “this is Might Gai, and his team: Tenten, Lee and Neji.” Team 7 muttered a ‘pleased to meet you’ before Kakashi motioned for them to come closer to the other Teams.

Kurenai stepped up.

“Well kids, the Hokage has decided that it was a good idea to have a joint training session between the four most promising genin teams to be held, in order to promote teamwork.

Now listen closely, there will be three four way matches. First Sasuke, Hinata, Tenten and Ino, then, Naruto, Lee, Shino and Chouji and the last one will be between Sakura, Shikamaru, Neji and Kiba.  
You may use ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu, weapons are allowed. The first four may start. The ones that aren’t participating can sit down here. Sakura and Naruto moved to wish Sasuke good luck, before sitting down near Shikamaru and Chouji.

The pinkette saw the kunoichi dance around her teammate, deciding to team up against their strongest opponent. Still, Sasuke won easily, only having some trouble with Tenten’s weapons.

Then it was Naruto’s turn against Lee, Shino and Chouji. The winner being the green clad genin, who won in less than five minutes and then proceeded to cry alongside his sensei – this made Inner Sakura start researching protection spells and idols in Sakura’s head-.

When it was the rosette’s turn, she knew she had things difficult. Her best bet was to team up with the lazy genius and take Kiba down first, before giving it a shot against the Hyuuga. So she went and told Shikamaru her plan.

Before Asuma said “start” Kiba had proclaimed that he could take all three of them alone. So when he charged at them, they moved out of the way and the Inuzuka rammed into a tree that had been before them.

The poor boy lost consciousness and immediately, all of the genin got up –the ones that were seated- and went to Kiba’s side, Ino immediately saying that they had to get their comrade to the hospital

*+*

A week later found Asuma, Kakashi, Kurenai and Gai in the Hokage’s office.

“Now that you are all here, I asked you to come because I want to discuss some things regarding your teams.  
As you know, last week’s training session was my idea, in order to promote teamwork between our most promising genin teams.  
What last week showed me was the beginning of a friendship forming in there, especially when the young Inuzuka got hurt and everyone wanted to help their fallen comrade.  
As you know, this year’s Chunin exams are being held here in Konoha, and our informants have expressed concern for our young ninja.  
This is why I’ve made the decision that the twelve of your students are to live together, as a way of promoting teamwork and the Will of Fire to the Academy children and other genin teams, of course, our real objective is to strengthen their bonds and have a lesser chance of them getting hurt in this Chunin Exams. You’ll have to enter them, since most of your students come from Clans our Village respects. The Elders won’t change their minds on this.

You’ll tell the kids tomorrow under the excuse of another joint training session, the Clan Heads and parents have been informed of this situation.

Dismissed.


	7. Her Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains mentions of torture and rape, so you don't have to read it if you don't want to

Sakura thought it was weird when Kakashi-sensei had told them there would be another joint training session with Team 8, Team 10 and Team Gai.

It was even _weirder_ when they arrived at Training Ground 3 and found everyone that was present last time already there…plus the Hokage. Naruto was about to go and bomb his dad with questions, but Sasuke stopped him putting his hand on the blonde’s shoulder.

“Well, now that we are all here, we’ll start. Team 7, Team 8, Team 10 and Team Gai; the twelve of you have shown some amazing potential, and most of you come from well-known ninja clans here in the village. This may prove to be dangerous, especially when the next Chunin Exams are to be held in Konoha. Our village’s informants have expressed their concern, so I have decided that the twelve of you will be living togeth-“ the Hokage did not get to finish before some of the genin present –mainly Kiba, Naruto and Lee- started voicing their confusion. _Loudly_.

After they were done talking, Minato resumed his explanation.

“One of our ANBU operatives has already built a house big enough for you. This will also improve your teamwork and may prove to be the difference between a Chunin vest and a tombstone.” After explaining the reasons for his actions, Asuma spoke up.  
“Your parents already know of this and have not opposed, seeing that this is for your own good and also for the village. So you will seal everything you will need to move-including furniture- and will meet at 4o’clockin the house Hokage-sama talked about. It’s near the Hokage Tower and big enough for you not to miss it. Then we will discuss your rooms and house chores.” His tone left no room for questions and the genin nodded.

**777**

Looking at her empty room, Sakura touched the walls one last time before closing the door; sealing scroll in hand.  
Her parents were waiting by the door. Her mother had made a bento for her and had given her some of her cooking recipes in case none of the others knew how to cook. Her father made her promise that she would still visit them at least once a week.   
She waved them goodbye and then started walking, without looking back.

**777**

Since it was only 2:30, Sakura decided to grab something to eat, saving her mother’s bento for dinner. There was a teashop near the Academy, so it wasn’t far from her new home.  
When she arrived, she was surprised to find Shino reading the menu.  
“I would recommend the raspberry tea Shino-san, it’s delicious.” She saw him tilt his head upwards, his sunglasses reflected Sakura’s smiling face.  
“Would you mind if I join you?” It took a moment before Shino answered he wouldn’t be opposed to the idea and the pinkette sat down in front of him.

After they ordered raspberry tea, the two genin started to chat. Sakura had never been close to the Aburame, but she could definitely say that she enjoyed his company.

“Say, Aburame-san…Do you think we’ll be able to improve by living together…?”  
“Living together may increase our bonds, which will make our fighting more effective as we will learn each other’s fighting style. It will help everyone, and if people are after us, there is always strength in numbers.” He took a sip from his tea. “You were right, the tea is quite acceptable.” Sakura translated it in her mind to _the tea is really delicious_ and grinned at the bug-user.  
“I guess you’re right, but it’s going to be difficult. We’ll have to organize chores, and training sessions, who’s going to cook, and all that…I wonder if we’ll have to pay the bills, maybe Hokage-sama will tell us later?” Shino just nodded.  
**Don’t worry too much Sakura, I’m sure you’ll be able to pull it off. You’re smart.  
**_Yeah…where were you anyways? I haven’t heard you for a whole week…  
_**You see…I had some errands to run and…  
**_You just don’t want to tell me, isn’t it?  
_**Can we please discuss this another time? Shino is staring at you.**  
_Fine._

“Are you all right Haruno-san” Shino asked  
“Yeah, sorry about that, I tend to space out.” She rubbed the back of her neck nervously.  
Shino just nodded and got up  
“We should get going, it’s nearly four.” Sakura nodded quickly and took out some money before putting it on the table. It was enough to cover for both their beverages. Shino probably knew that but decided not to comment. Sakura just looked at him and smiled.  
“I’ll let you pay next time, now come on!” She grabbed his hand and started running, looking for the house Asuma-sensei had described.

**777**

**That’s not a house. That’s a mansion.  
** _Agreed._

A two-story wooden house rose before them. Sakura could see different windows upstairs – which, she thought, belonged to their rooms-, there weren’t any balconies, but she wasn’t mad at that, though she was sure Ino was going to throw a fit. Besides her, Shino was also looking at their new home. He turned to look at her. “It’s big…” he muttered. She couldn’t help her snort.   
“Of course it is Aburame-san, twelve teenagers are meant to fit in there, but to be honest, it makes me dread chores.” Shino chuckled at her last comment. If someone had told her that she would be making the young Aburame chuckle with a joke that bad, she would’ve told them they needed to see a doctor, but she had to admit she was kind of proud for making him kinda-laugh.

Just then, Hinata arrived to the place, carrying with her a sealing scroll and a paper bag Sakura guessed had some kind of food.  
“G-good eve-evening Haruno-san, A-Aburame san.” Shino nodded his head at the Hyuuga heiress while Sakura waved  
“Good evening to you too Hyuuga-san, you’re here early.” Sakura saw Hinata blush as she quickly replied that she didn’t have many things to grab from her home.

Before long, all twelve of the genin were gathered outside the huge building waiting for their senseis. Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke knew that Kakashi would be unbelievably late, so they sat down. Sakura took the opportunity to try to catch up on some of her sleep.

_She was hiding behind a wall, listening to the Elders talk._  
“The siblings have become a danger to all of us…” She could hear a woman say  
“Indeed, with how fast they improve, it is just a matter of time before they grow up and start to question us” a man said  
“Everyone loves them, we will be rendered useless, treated as if we were senile…” the first woman replied  
“We must not let this happen. Those children must die for the good of the Clan.” 

_Sakura could hear footsteps. She tried to run, but her legs were short and a bit clumsy, she didn’t go far before she tripped and fell, hitting her head. The elders saw her_  
“What do you think you’re doing Sakura? Listening to conversations that don’t concern you?” The woman that had talked before asked her.  
“You must be taught a lesson, you brat.” After saying that, the man picked her up –surprisingly, seeing that he was rather old-.

_They locked her up for a week._  
Sometimes she could listen to Kimi-nii’s voice shouting her name. But she could not answer.  
When the elder woman came to let her free, she warned Sakura  
“You must not tell anyone about what you heard the other day. Not your brother, not your father, not your mother. Do I make myself clear?” Sakura just nodded before she was roughly pushed in the direction of her house. Kimimaro was seated on the porch, eating an apple when he saw her approach. Her brother ran to her and hugged her tightly. He asked her again and again where had she been, but she just shook her head sadly.

_She knew Kimimaro had been locked in one of those little cells too, so it wasn’t a surprise when he seemed to understand that the Elders had put her in there. After all, it was a common occurrence._

Sakura woke up and opened her eyes. Kakashi wasn’t there yet, and everyone was waiting for him. Shikamaru had followed her example and had fallen asleep next to Chouji, who was munching on some chips.

She closed her eyes again and breathed deeply

_That one was new, but I know that’s not what you’re really hiding from me Inner.  
_**No, it’s not. But I figured this one was a good start. To be honest I didn’t want the fifteen of them to be worried sick for you. That’s why I’m waiting until tonight.  
**_That’s what you said last week.  
_**Yes, I’m hoping that you forget about it again…  
**_Not going to happen, you know me Inner._  
**I know…**

She heard a _poof_ and a cry of “YOU’RE LATE! ‘TTEBAYO” and knew that Kakashi-sensei had finally arrived. So she stood up from her sitting position and watched as the Hokage opened the door.

As they entered and took off their shoes, Asuma-sensei gave each of them a set of keys, warning them that they wouldn’t be getting new ones if they lost them –while staring pointedly at Kiba and Naruto-.   
Sakura looked to her right; there was a kitchen and a table big enough to fit all twelve of them and then some. To her left; there was a _huge_ living room, with lots –and I mean _lots-_ of couches and a love seat. In front of her, there were some stairs that, she presumed, led to their rooms. She could also see a door that probably led to a backyard, and a smaller room that could be a bathroom, or a guest room. She decided she would find out later. Everyone was climbing up the stairs to take a look at the rooms, and judging by the gasps of surprise from the others, they were some pretty big rooms.  So she decided to follow Hinata up the stairs and pick out a room for herself.

Sakura was right when she said that the rooms were big. She walked around the empty space before opening a door to the left and finding herself in a bathroom. She closed the door and walked to her window. She had an amazing view of the Fourth’s face and the Hokage Tower. Sitting down in the window seat, she looked at her new room, mentally placing her bed on the right and her full-body mirror next to it. Her dresser next to the bathroom door and her bookshelf next to the window. Just then, Gai-sensei called everyone to the living room.

**777**

Sakura was glad everyone had brought food with them, so they didn’t have to worry of who was cooking dinner.   
It had been a long day for all of them. Moving to a new home –mansion- and getting settled tired everyone out. Everyone had wanted to arrange their things perfectly since the Hokage had told them he wanted them to live there until they started getting married. And he wasn’t joking. Sakura knew that they would get accustomed to living with eleven other people, and that little by little they would add their touch to the house they now lived in.

_Inner?  
_**Yes Sakura?  
**_Remind me to get some plants and painting tomorrow, I’m not leaving my room this bare.  
_**Noted.  
**_And I haven’t forgotten._  
She heard Inner sigh in her head  
**Fine, I’ll show you. Just go to sleep already.**  
And Sakura did just that.

_She was in front of a man. She guessed he was rich because of his expensive clothes and the many guards in the room. She was afraid, and shocked after losing her whole family. Her eyes were wide and she was shaking. There was a man grabbing the neck of the kimono she was wearing, holding her in place. Not that she was going to escape._  
“I found her alone in the forest Boss, judging from her clothes and the marks on her face, she’s from the Kaguya Clan. Their secrets are worth lots of money, so I think we could make her talk.”   
The man in front of her grinned, showing off golden teeth.  
“Well done Atsushi. This plan of yours could work. I want all of you to leave my office. I wish to speak with the girl.” Just as he had ordered, all the guards and the man named Atsushi left the room, leaving her alone with the man. He was probably forty years old, and reeked of sake and tobacco. He stood up and came to her. She instinctively moved away until her back touched the wall. There was no way of getting out.

_The man asked her lots of questions. How did her Kekkei Genkai work? Who were her parents? What was her position in the Clan? What kind of training she received? What books did the Clan Library have?_  
Not once did she open her mouth.  
Not when he slapped her.  
Not when he kicked her.  
Not when he started  touching her.

_In the end, they had locked her up in a cell.  
Sakura did not sleep that night._

_::_

_He asked the same questions again and again, and she did not say a word. Not even when he got more violent and took out different weapons to intimidate her. When that didn’t work, he started throwing them._

_Over the course of the weeks, the man started to get desperate. She had been deprived of food and water for three days, until they had to give her some or risk her dying._

_One day, the man had had enough._  
He was drunk, Sakura could tell.  
He started shouting and threw his sake bottle at her. She was too weak to move, so it hit its mark and her pink hair turned crimson.  
He touched her again.  
She tried to move out of the way, but his grip was too strong. And she was too weak.  
But even then, she did not answer his questions.

_He was furious._

_The next day, he entered her cell again, but this time there was a man with him._  
He had a mask that reminded Sakura of a lollipop.  
His only visible eye was red.

_He tried to look into her memories, but Inner did not let him in._  
After being forcefully pulled out of her mind, the man punched her.  
They knew she wasn’t mute because she would sometimes scream when they hit her, or threw things at her.  
But her parents had told her that she could not tell anything regarding the Clan to people she didn’t know.  
She stayed silent.

_The masked man took out a brush and ink from a pouch strapped to his thigh._  
He was painting something in her arm.  
“This will teach you to not mess with me little girl.” He said

_When he was finished, Sakura could only feel pain._

She woke up sweating, covering her mouth so her scream wouldn’t wake everyone up.

**I told you Sakura. I am meant to protect you from traumatic experiences…  
**_So that’s where the seal came from…as punishment for not sharing Clan secrets…  
_**Yes. After that happened, a Konoha team found the place they had you in and got you out, and the Haruno adopted you. Though maybe living with drug dealers didn’t help your mental health…**  
_Understatement of the century Inner._

It was quiet in her head for a while. She could hear Naruto snoring in the room next to hers, and Akamaru barking at something before Kiba told him to be quiet. “It’s just a fly Akamaru! Go to sleep, you’ll wake everyone up!

**Will you be fine Sakura?  
** …  
_I will Inner, I just need some time to think. Thank you.  
_**For what?  
**_For showing me everything. For giving me back my past._  
**…** **No problem**

Sakura got up. The floor was cold.

**Where are you going?**  
_It’s almost dawn Inner, I’m going to make breakfast. Do you think they like pancakes?  
_ **Make them with chocolate chips. Sasuke can bitch all he wants about sweet pancakes.**

She laughed.


	8. Home

Their kitchen was pretty big, and she had enough room to move freely while making breakfast. It was almost five in the morning, but yesterday’s events had worn everyone out. She doubted that Sasuke would be up early, and he usually was up by 5:30. That just meant that she had plenty of time to make breakfast and be alone with her thoughts.

The seal in her arm hurt more than usual, but somehow it was surprisingly easy to ignore. In her opinion, sealing her like that had been a bit _too_ much of a punishment for refusing to share Clan secrets she couldn´t even _remember_.

She had never thought it possible for someone to make pancakes angrily, but that was exactly what she was doing. Sakura usually enjoyed cooking, especially if it was something sweet. But today was not one of those days. She was sure that the pancake mix did not deserve her anger, but the pinkette figured that it was best that she got it out on that than on any of the other eleven ninjas she now lived with.

The kitchen had started to smell of that sweet aroma one related with chocolate-chip pancakes and she got started on the orange juice and chamomile tea, –and some coffee for herself-.

Someone cleared his throat behind her, and Sakura almost jumped into the air. Instead, she just turned around to glare at whoever had startled her and found it to be Sasuke. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and wearing his stupid smirk.

“I don’t know what happened, but I doubt that the pancake mix is to blame.” Sakura snorted when her teammate voiced her thoughts.   
“Oh shut up Sasuke. If you want to be useful, help me make the orange juice.” Her dark-haired friend chuckled quietly but made his way towards her and finished the juice while she set the table.

The pinkette shook her head fondly and made her way upstairs and began knocking on the doors, telling her fellow genin that breakfast was ready. While everyone groggily went downstairs, Sasuke appeared from inside the kitchen with two huge plates full of pancakes on his arms and set them on the table.

Sakura herself went back to the kitchen and made some scrambled eggs for people like Sasuke and maybe Neji that disliked sweet things. She knew the exact moment Naruto came down because of his shout of ‘Pancakes! You’re the best Sakura-chan, ‘ttebayo!’ She quickly served the eggs and went to sit down with the rest of the teams.

The atmosphere was kind of awkward, and all the teams were seated together. If it hadn’t been for Naruto, Kiba, Lee and Chouji it would’ve been really quiet. But when they started eating, everyone complimented her cooking skills and Chouji even offered to cook sometime that week if she helped him.

Halfway through their meal, someone knocked on the door. Seeing that Tenten was the closest to the door, it was her that had to open. There was a Chunin outside, and he wordlessly handed Tenten a letter before leaving. Sakura snorted at the girl’s ‘wow, talk about a talkative guy’ after she closed the door.

Then, the weapon’s mistress sat down again and opened the envelope. After reading, she informed everyone that the Hokage had given them the week off so that they could settle in. That meant no missions and no official training for the twelve of them.  
Surprisingly, no one complained seeing that they had a lot to do to make the huge house feel like people lived in it. After all, that was their new home.

**888**

Kimimaro has been having weird dreams. Memories of his past with Sakura and Haku. Some of them had their parents and the Clan Elders, but usually it was only the three of them. He missed his little sister, and he was sure that his best friend missed her too. Somehow, he knew that his sister was alive.  He just had to find her.

Problem was that he was absolutely sure that Sakura wasn’t in Kiri. When Zabuza had taken both of them as apprentices, Kimimaro and Haku had looked for the pink-haired girl. They searched every town they went to, spread out their senses while in the forest. Nothing.  
However, they had found an underground base not so long ago, it was empty, but there was a lingering smell of blood and grime that had made Haku want to go back to their camp. Kimimaro had to admit that it had been an appealing idea at the time, but they had both decided to investigate.

Inside, numerous empty cells greeted them, and it reminded him of the cages the Elders would lock him and Sakura in for days. Naturally, they found worse things inside. Dried blood, vials of poison, several rusty blades- the list could go on and on, but for the two of them it could only mean one thing: torture. It was clear that the people leading this place had wanted one thing and one thing only, and it was information.

On what? It didn’t matter. The both of them could see in their mind’s eye chained people hanging from the wall, begging for mercy or crying for help.  
But they happily noted that there were no bodies or bones, and there were clear signs of a fight. That could only mean that the prisoners had managed to escape, and that someone –or a number of someones- had helped them do it.

There were various pieces of cloths inside the cells, ripped and bloody, but they all told the story of the person that had been wearing them. And when they were looking through one of the last cells, Kimimaro realized that he knew one of those pieces of clothing. It was a white piece of silk that once had been a dress. A dress that had belonged to his little sister.

Absently minded, the white-haired boy fingered the piece of clothing that now resided in his pocket. He could remember the feeling of dread that had settled on his stomach when he saw Haku pick up the cloth; some tears fell on the silk that had once been white as the brunette held it close to his chest.

Kimimaro had just stood there, his mind going into panic mode because _his little sister had been held here and he could only imagine what these people had done to her and what if she wasn’t alive, what if she hadn’t made it out and thiscouldn’tbehappening_. But he heard the sound of cloth ripping and saw Haku handing him a piece of his sister’s dress while the younger pocketed the other one.  He had grabbed it shakily and done the same.

Logically, he now knew that Sakura was safe who-knows-where, but it had become a habit for Haku and him to finger the piece of cloth they had taken that day. It was the only physical thing that they had of Sakura, and it made them feel close to her.

Of course Zabuza-sama thought it was stupid of them to depend so much on a piece of “mangled dress” as he had called it, but he had only mentioned it once. They had explained the cloth’s meaning to him and he had left them alone. Even though he was a scary guy and a rogue ninja, Zabuza was actually a very caring and kind person that understood their need to find his pink-haired sister.

**888**

After breakfast, Sakura quickly told Naruto that she would go shopping for some things to “lighten up her room” and then left the house. She had laughed at his confused expression and proceeded to explain that since Hokage-sama told them they were going to live there for a long time, she didn’t want her room to feel like a hotel room instead of the sanctuary it was supposed to be.

The first thing on her list was some paint; she thought that a light green or white would look fine and finally settled on both. Then, she went hunting for popsicle sticks and glue. Her last stop had been the Yamanaka Flower Shop, she wanted to buy some cactus and flowers. She had always liked plants and thought that it was the perfect way to make her room more lively and homey. It would take time, and she was spending almost everything she had earned with the little D-ranked missions they had done.

But it was worth it.

She went back to the house armed with lots of bags and had to knock with her head. It was Shikamaru who opened the door and stared at her until she asked for help with her shopping. Muttering a “troublesome”, Shikamaru took the paint and went inside, while she followed-only briefly stopping to take off her sandals.

The lazy ninja had waited for her outside her room, so she went to open the door and invited him in.   
“Now I get why you bought all this stuff. It’s so bare it’s troublesome.” Sakura laughed at the brunet’s comment while taking out her things from the plastic bags, being really careful with the plants.  
“Yeah, I’m planning on decorating this place until it feels more like a room. It’s going to be tiring, but I won’t have much time after this week.”   
Shikamaru chuckled and ran a hand through his ponytail before sitting down on her window seat. She made a mental reminder to buy some throw pillows after her next mission.  
“What’s with the popsicle sticks?” he asked, quite interested.  
Instead of answering, Sakura grabbed a bunch of sticks and formed a pentagon, and then proceeded to pile them until the both of them were staring at a little shelve.   
“I’m going to make tons of these and hang them on the wall, potted plants fit perfectly and it looks cute. You’ll see it tomorrow.”   
Shikamaru had opened his mouth to say something else but Ino’s voice interrupted him, calling everyone down to have lunch. He shrugged and followed Sakura downstairs.

**888**

It was almost dinner time and Sakura’s room had a distinct smell of paint. Her room was now a light green everywhere but the ceiling, and the pinkette was kneeling, paintbrush in hand while she painted near the door frame. She was humming an old song she and Haku used to sing when they were kids. She couldn’t remember the lyrics, but it was comforting and helped her concentrate on her task until she was done.

Exhausted, but feeling rather accomplished, she went to lean against her bed and looked around. She had done a pretty good job, and she could only imagine how it would look when she got started on her popsicle stick shelves. Maybe she could make some paper cranes and hang them from the ceiling. She had time now, and she should make the most of it.

But now, she had time to think.   
Sakura found her mind going back to the man with the orange mask and to her time captive. Surprisingly, she was glad that Inner had chosen to let her remember that part of her life. She felt more complete, more like Sakura. She knew that there were some things that were still missing, but trusted Inner to tell her when the time was right. If she got too much information all at once, it wouldn’t do her any good. She could wait-she had waited for years after all.

She was saved from her own mind when someone knocked at her door. It was Chouji telling everyone that dinner was ready. Sakura sighed and shook her head to clear her mind, before going down with everyone else. She didn’t care about her clothes –just some shorts and a tank top- that were stained everywhere with paint. Some of it had even fallen onto her thighs and her arms. But she was too lazy to take a shower and just washed her hands, then went to help set the table.

Before she could sit down though, someone knocked at their door for the second time that day. She heard Ino stand up and open the wooden entrance. She heard a female’s voice ask for her, and it sounded oddly familiar.

Sakura knew that voice.

“Mom. Dad.”


End file.
